AMIGO's world premiere is in Toronto!

The good news came last night from Sebastien Chesneau at Rezo, the company that is repping the movie for sales worldwide: AMIGO will  premier a the 35th Toronto International Film Festival. We don't know the precise date yet but TIFF runs September 9-19, so some time during that period we'll be showing AMIGO to the public for the first time.  In the view of many, Toronto is the most important film market in North America. It's  a great opportunity to screen the movie for buyers from around the world, and it's a good place to get press, and the audiences are full of civilians, not just people from the industry.
We are really happy to be included in this year's TIFF, and offer big thanks to Piers Handling and Cameron Bailey for inviting us.
Stay tuned: I'll post the dates as soon as I have them, for TIFF and San Sebastian Film Festival too.
Maybe we'll see you there...

See you there

John and I have been here so long it feels like we live here. That was true after six months in Bohol, but now it is true even after only six weeks of living in Manila. Weird.
We run into people we know, all the time, and everyone we meet knows someone we know. "El mundo es un pañuelo", that's what we say in Mexico.
We went Philippine Repertory Company production of EQUUS,  to see our CAPITAN NARVAEZ, Miguel Faustmann play the psychiatrist, and who do we see there? Our psycho-killer LOCSIN and his wife Maritina. We all go out afterwards and who do we run into? Jessica Zafra. She accuses John and me of stalking her since we were together there in Greenbelt 5 a couple of nights before. Max Luna III (cool moniker) joins us and we hear about the show he is choreographing. Who is the costume designer? Our AMIGO designer Gino Gonzales! And who are among the musicians for the show? Sammy Assuncion, our hegalong player.

We'll be there on Friday.

Where are they now?

Well Jemi Paretas, our cazador ZUNIGA, is playing a tonsured friar!
And I know Yul had a great time on a film in Dearborn, MI (really, he should be hired by the Dearborn tourist bureau). Dane has won an Obie (Off Broadway for his performance in The Aliens) since you saw him last and will be appearing on IN TREATMENT this fall.
Send your news and I'll post it.

San Sebastian International Film Festival 2007

Here we are at San Sebastian in 2007 With Yaya DaCosta and Gary Clark, Jr. for HONEYDRIPPER.  We won Best Screenplay!

San Sebastian International Film Festival

Exciting news: AMIGO has been invited in Competition at the 58 Film Festival de San Sebastian Donostia Zinemaldia! This festival, among the many wonderful international festivals that have shown our films,  is our personal favorite. San Sebastian is a beautiful city in Basque on the northern coast of Spain. The festival is renowned for its hospitality, and I know their director Mikel Olaciregui will warmly welcome the Amigo cast and crew who are eager to attend.
www.sansebastianfilmfestival.com
Stay tuned for further developments (and pray we're invited by TIFF, Toronto).

Oh boy, HEGALONG

Sammy Asuncion is blowing our minds. The soundtrack is taking a new, Eastern direction as Sammy plays to picture. He is trying out new tunings as Mason asks him to stretch the  hegalong to reach the Western instruments we recorded yesterday. Sammy's first cue is over the opening of the movie, as the villagers work in the ricefields. Sets the tone.
Photo by Dennis Cham
Thank you, Dennis. Thank you, Sammy.

Hit Productions, Makati Day One

Day One of the music record for "Amigo". Mostly we cover the tunes played by our local village band, "La Marcha de Cadiz" and "Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight". It was a challenge for these talented players to sound provincial, but they did it.
From left to right:
Drums:Junjun Regalado, Trombone:Jeck Cenizosa,Our Fearless Leader, Trumpet:Richie Gonzaga (with Jose Rizal), Engineer:K.C. Caballero,Tuba:Jun de la Paret, Ass't Engineer:Mark Villar, and in the foreground, all the way from Marblehead Mass, Composer:Mason Daring.

Safe and sound

Have you been reading about typhoons in Manila? Basyan it was called and it slammed into the windows of our hotel in Quezon City all night long, Tuesday into Wednesday. We lost power at the hotel for about 15 hours and internet for about twice that. We were lucky.
I would so not want to be the guys at the Gov't Weather Dep who so badly predicted the course of the typhoon.
Our Post production house Roadrunner is just up Tomas Morato Ave and they are our home away from home- especially when they have AC and internet and we don't. Starbucks is handy and like 200 other residents that post-typhoon morning, we were at Starbucks powering up all our electronics.
We start our music recording session today, at Hit Productions in Makati. They got power!

We're back!

Thanks for your patience, loyal Johnsaylesbaryoblogspot fans. John and I went back to the US for six whirlwind weeks and now we are back in the Phil to complete Post.

Through the kind agency of Miss Lee Meily, we are proud to be showing BROTHER FROM ANOTHER PLANET, one of our earliest movies (1982?) at Cinemalaya, the Manila festival which celebrates Indy Film.

On 14 July/Wed at 9:00 PM CCP Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino (Little Theatre).
Hope to see you there and around the Philippines where we'll be till the end of August.
Salamat! Maggie